If you meet the qualifications and want to know when you’re getting your rebate check, the IRS has put up a site called “Where’s my Stimulus Payment” that allows you to check on it’s progress. (Update: The IRS has also setup a rebate hotline so you can inquire by phone, 1-866-234-2942) In order to find out the status of your rebate on the website you’ll have to provide the following:

Your Filing status

Social Security Number

Number of Exemptions on your 2007 tax return

It may not be much help, it wasn’t for me. I got the message “We are sorry. Specific information about your Stimulus payment is not available.” The possible reasons they gave for not having any status on the stimulus payment were:

– Your payment may still be coming, but has not yet been scheduled– You did not file a tax return for 2007 or your return is still being processed

I know I filed for 2007 so I figured it must be that our payment hasn’t been scheduled yet. I checked out the stimulus payment schedule page and realized why they don’t have any information on our rebate yet.

“Stimulus Payments are being issued on a schedule according to the last 2 digits of the primary social security number (SSN) shown on your 2007 tax return. …. Payments will be made by either direct deposit or paper check, consistent with how people filed their 2007 tax return.”

We paid our taxes via direct deposit so we should be on the fast track but my social security number doesn’t match the first set of criteria so we’ll have to wait a little longer:

Last two SSN digits:

Payments will be transmitted no later than:

00 – 20

May 2

21 – 75

May 9

76 – 99

May 16

Unfortunately if you paid your taxes with a check, the stimulus payment schedule stretches out until July

Last two SSN digits:

Payments will be transmitted no later than:

00 – 09

May 16

10 – 18

May 23

19 – 25

May 30

26 – 38

June 6

39 – 51

June 13

52 – 63

June 20

64 – 75

June 27

76 – 87

July 4

88 – 99

July 11

Avoiding Tax ScamsSpammers are trying to take advantage of the stimulus payment rush and sending out fake emails posing as requests for more information from the IRS. According to this tax scam article the emails look very authentic but if you follow the links they contain you’ll be taken to a mock IRS site.

Any information you enter there could be used for identity theft purposes so don’t click on any links in emails about the tax stimulus payments, instead type in irs.gov if you want to visit IRS site. If you do receive one of these fraudulent emails, you can forward it to phishing@irs.gov.

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Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

Comments

I think it a schame people like us should get a stimulus check to everybody why is people houses so high is country gone to straight to hell people are hurting because people like us can’t get a job and people on walfare should stop giving money out to people and pregnant girls having babies cant take care of the them

My daughter is a teacher and could really use the $300 economic stimulus check she qualified for, but hasn’t yet received. She followed all the instructions at the IRS website only to be told to be patient, that the check would be sent out before the end of the year. Well, it’s a new year already and still no check. Now the IRS website conveniently lacks any information on the stimulus checks. Imagine how the IRS would respond if you told them to be patient, . . . that the taxes they are owed will be sent to them one of these days?

I have been waiting patiently since May 30th, that was supposed to be when I should have gotten mine. I understand that since I am receiving a “paper check”, processing could take a little longer. But why when I call IRS, after being on hold for sometimes more than an hour, noone seems to know anything about the status. They seem to tell me the same thing everytime, “Call back in 3-4 weeks, as of now, we have no information on the status of your check.” I have been doing this since May and it is now approaching the new tax season. Why some people receive them on time and others experience so many problems? Not to mention when I called, they put me into a “hardship status” because I am unemployed. What is it going to take to even get an answer as to why this is happening, and when about should I expect it?

We moved and went to the post office to get a change of address since our ss# is 99 we were the last…so we waited until August 1 we were wondering what happen so we called IRS the had sent it out on July 11 like more than 3 weeks and it never went to out new address..so we went to our old place and a lady said yeah it arrived there and left it on the counter and one of her kids open the mail..She said come back Im gonna look for it ..so we did..guess what when we came back she was gone and we return and she said her husband trew it away..what a butt…Now we got to wait 6 more weeks cuz they are investigating to see if its been cash…

Please see my post on August 9 where I discuss filling out a 1040X to receive the stimulus payment. I was told that the stimulus payment would arrive about 6-8 weeks after I submitted the form to the local IRS office on June 10, and the stimulus payment did indeed arrive in the 7th week. So the 1040X remedy worked for me. Just to recap the steps I took:

1. Go to your local IRS office.

2. Tell them that you did not receive your stimulus payment although you were qualified to receive it by having Social Security earnings greater than $3,000. Take proof of your Social Security earnings with you when you go to the IRS office. The best proof is a PHOTOCOPY of your SSA-1099 form that you received from Social Security stating your Social Security Number and your earnings for last year.

3. From the clerk at the IRS office, obtain a 1040X form, the form people use to update the IRS about their past tax returns. The form has two sides (pp. 1 and 2). On the top of p. 1, write the words “Stimululs Payment” in big letters to get the attention of IRS workers who will later process your 1040X. I even had the IRS clerk use a yellow marking pen to highlight the words “Stimulus Pament”

4. The IRS clerk told me to cross out all the writing on p. 1 and all writing on p. 2 because the writing has nothing to do with getting the stimulus payment.

5. At the bottom of p. 2, there is a space where you will discuss what you are seeking. I stated: “I am filling out this 1040X for the sole purpose of claiming the stimulus payment. I attach my SSA-1099 which shows that I received ____________ amount of money from Social Security, which is clearly over the $3000 earnings limit needed to obtain the stimulus payment.

6. Have the IRS clerk date stamp the form and initial the date stamp. Give the form along with the photocopy of your SSA-1099 to the clerk for them to turn in. This is what I did, and I did receive the stimulus payment. You can obtain the 1040X on the Internet, however I felt that a visit to the IRS office would be better, and it worked.

I was tolde by a lady that worked for the IRS for 50 years that I should file a 1040A form. She told me to fill in12a which is pensions and annuities. I mailed it in. We have not had to file taxes for about 5 years as we did not have enough income. I went to the local IRS and she told me to file a 1040x and put “stimulas payment across the top and not to put anything on the page but on the back to put in what I did . I wrote in that space that I has put in our pensions on12a instead of filling out 14a. I still didn’t hear anything and went back to the local IRS and she then tells me that I didn’t put the year of the taxes in[2007} and I didn’t put in the amount of Social Security . She said don’t do anything else until I hear from the IRS. But will I hear from them or am I just lost out. Can I send in another 1040x? She also told me that the IRS is so far behind that they have extented filing until Dec. Is this correct? Any help is greatly appreciated. WE are seniors cit. with limited income. Thank you so much

why do i have so much trouble even claiming mine i filled out all the forms they said i forgot to fill out 7a on 1040 i mean they could have put it on there i mean come on dont they know how much they pay me in social security

I was suppose to get my payment on or around july 4 but here it is AUGUST 16 and I have still not recieved it……..I need to know what action I need to take in order to get my return. I am a single parent of two children and at this point I really need that money…….THANK YOU UNCLE SAM!!!!

I just want to say that my stimulus check was lost or stolen in the mail. i reported it july 2, 2008. it’s now August 12,2008 still have not heard anything. i have tried unsuccessfully to reach the irs by phone and have found myself on the line any where from a hour to several hours. can any one direct me in the right direction i am deeply in need of this payment. frustrated in durham!!!!

In response to Mary Migliore: I had non-taxable social security income over $3000 which I included on my 1040, and I also enclosed a copy of my SSA-1099 showing those earnings. However, I did not put the words “Stimulus Payment” at the top of my 1040, which is what someone told me I should have done. The IRS completely overlooked my Social Security income and determined that I did not qualify for the stimulus payment. I called the national IRS number and was told to submit a 1040X, the form used to amend prior tax returns. I went to the local IRS field office and again asked the clerk what to do. He didn’t know, and had to ask his supervisor, who told him that I needed to fill out a 1040X, so I did. I stated on p. 2 of the form that I was filing out the 1040X solely to collect the stimulus payment and that the earnings I received from Social Security were sufficient to receive the stimulus payment. I again attached a copy of my SSA-1099 showing my earnings from Social Security and also added the words “Stimulus Payment” to the top of the 1040X. The clerk date stamped my 1040X for 6/10/08, and said that he would turn it in. He told me that it would take about 6-8 weeks before anything would be done on my request. People apparently have until October 1 this year to file for the stimulus payment, and if I don’t hear about my 1040X by mid September, I will call the IRS to find out what to do next. There may be a way to collect the stimulus payment in the next tax year, but I’d probably have to consult a tax person to see how to do it, so I’d rather get the payment using a 1040X. I wonder how many other seniors lost out because an IRS clerk didn’t see non-taxable Social Security payments on p. 1 of their 1040s. In response to Faith Truth, it’s not fair that most of the people I know received a stimulus payment and I didn’t although I qualified for one. I have contributed a lot to California history and helping people in AA over 23 years, so I challenge Faith Truth to get real and keep out of other people’s business.

I was supposed to receive my check on July 11th and it is now Aug.8th. The IRS stated they cant take action until today…Im going to call and see what run around I get this time!!!! I can only imagine how difficult they will make this for me. Fill out this form, call this number, mail form back and wait 6-8 weeks for processing!!! Maybe I will get mine by tax season next year LOL

Keep the faith everyone. You will eventually get your checks. Can you not understand what a huge task this is to mail out 130 million people checks to the proper address? I think they are fed up with you cry babies. Count your blessings that you are even getting a stimulas check at all and in the meantime …Hey how about getting off your lazy butts and doing something for America!!!!!! Seems this generation spends too much time waiting on a handout from the hard working ones that are t/Tusy working to complain…give it some thought. God Bless America ….here is a thought…read the Bible and you will see there is alot to do and little time to do it…Have a wonderful day America..

I WAS TO GET MY CHECK IN JUNE….HERE IT IS JULY 21…CALLING ALL THE PHONE NUMBERS ON THE COMPUTER IS A JOKE…CANT TELL YOU ANYTHING EXCEPT MY CHECK WAS SUPPOSE TO GO OUT IN EARLY JUNE..
FRUSTERATED SENIOR(THAT NEEDS THAT CHECK) IN DALLAS…….
COMMON IRS GET WITH..

Our check got mailed to an adress we have not lived at for over 3 years. The adress on our 2007 return was current and they sent the notice to was current, but that is not the address they sent the check to. It was a good thing I knew the people that moved into our old place, they brought it to us.

I received a notice from IRS June 10 stating I would receive my Economic Stim. Payment ON JUNE 13. It is now July 17 and still no payment. The IRS website is of no help. The IRS toll free reps are of NO HELP and the Post office is of no help. So I guess you just sit and wait endlessly until it arrives, IF EVER! If I were to owe the IRS they would sure take my money RIGHT AWAY but they take their sweet d— time to get you your money! Thanks IRS for EVERYTHING!!! You guys are wonderful!!!

I Used Turbotax to prepare taxes for 4 of my friends and they all got their check in mid – late june.. its neary 2nd week of july and i get the lousy …”We are sorry. Specific information about your Stimulus Payment is not available.” and my SS ends with 12.. good job uncle scam..how you supposed to stimulate the economy when the checks are mailed in large intervals…Ron paul is right.. “do away with the IRS…and the federal reserve

It is now July 3 and I still haven’t received my check. The info on the internet says that no one can tell you anymore that the tracking query. They say that it will not tell you anything unless it is in the time frame of two weeks and give no other information. Anyone have anymore tracking information that I have?

I called the IRS today, but was told that I wasn’t eligible because my total income was below $3,000.00. This was incorrect as my total income on my tax return was over $3,000.00 I did however, when rechecking my 2007 return, realized that I did not list my Social Security Benefits, but when I calculated the amount to see if any part of the benefits was taxable, it was showing as none would be taxable, so I would enter -0- in line 14b of the 2007 form, therefore the amount of my total income would remain the same.. Would this error change my status of getting a rebate check, or would it hold up my receiving same. I would like to know if I have to submit another tax form or if this information is sufficient to change my status to getting a rebate.

Got my stimulus check on 6/4/08. Endorsed it for deposit only ,put in in the US postal system to my credit union account (deposit only) on 6/6/08 and it hasn’t been seen since. What recourse do I have if any. Post office was no help; Credit Union has no record of receipt and I cannot get anyone at IRS except recorded messages because they are overwhelmed. Reported to USPIS website.

Your not the only one to not get your check, mine was supposed to mailed on May 23 as well and I still don’t have it. I have to assume that I won’t be getting it because people who have direct deposit are getting theirs first and no one I know has gotten one in the mail. I live in CA, so I guess it does not matter what state you live in.